*OFFICIAL* "All Powerful" M17x-R2 Edition Owner's Lounge - Part 2

thanks mfractal! its working alright again! The ensure the longevity of my battery life, do i need to remove the battery while im using the adapter? Does M17x-R2 stop charging the battery when its full and use the current from ac adapter instead?

Also, where do i get an anti-glare screen protector, full body cover and TPU keyboard cover for m17x? Been having a hard time finding them! =P

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M17x-R2 :: Cosmic Space BLACK|i7 720QM|1920x1200 RGB|Dual Xfire 5870s|2 X 500GB 7200RPM Raid 0|8GB DDR3 1333MHz| Thanks to Chief-running new WHQL VBIOS and AMDs 10.10 8.782 =)

 

If it helps you sleep better you can just Fn+F2 to disable battery charging while you are on the outlet. Remember, if you plug and unplug and the battery is disabled it will still not charge. You must enable it via Fn+F2 when you wish to start charging.

Anti-glare I wouldn't recommend. There is nothing out there that will not lower the quality of the RGBLED.

 

Hey there chiefs,

For the keyboard cover I've been buying these ones off ebay for about a year now. I just buy like a few at a time since their so cheap and use each one till its wrecked lol! Then I just swap in a new one. They fit perfectly for the M17x R1 + R2 keyboards. They are washable too. Its make typing soo super silent too. Its just like putting the silencer on a pistol gun LOL!

Keyboard Skin Cover for DELL XPS M1720 M1730 1730 1720 (eBay item 250622227187 end time 23-Nov-10 01:01:29 AEDST) : Computers Networking

Keyboard Skin Cover for Dell xps M1730 1730 1720 1721 (eBay item 310198221369 end time 29-Nov-10 13:29:04 AEDST) : Computers Networking

Keyboard Skin Dell XPS M1720 M1721 M1730 1730 1720 1721 (eBay item 250573480121 end time 29-Nov-10 07:23:52 AEDST) : Computers Networking

I originally bought them for my XPS M1730 back in the day however they didn't really sit perfectly like they do on the Alien.

Cheers.

 

I just turn off and unplug my M17x when not using it...just doing that has resulted in my battery still performing like a champ after a year of use. What usually degrades laptop batteries is when people leave the laptop plugged in all the time with the battery installed. Whether the laptop is on or off the battery is still getting current through it if the laptop is plugged in.

 

Thanks everyone! it has been An AWESOME day! Thank you! Appreaciate it! Cheers! =)
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M17x-R2 :: Cosmic Space BLACK|i7 720QM|1920x1200 RGB|Dual Xfire 5870s|2 X 500GB 7200RPM Raid 0|8GB DDR3 1333MHz| Thanks to Chief-running new WHQL VBIOS and AMDs 10.10 8.782 =)

 

Ok i got your point. Of course its set to direct 96-24, otherwise i wouldnt hear anything. The other two options are for optical and coax connection.

Z5500 speakers have 5 modes (at direct 96-24) to select from, 6 CH Direct, Stereo, Double Stereo, Music and Movie. M17X is set to 5.1 in IDT and in windows sound devices. Cod black ops must have 5.1 sound for sure

Call of Duty®: Black Ops Dolby Digital True 5.1 ProGaming Headset for PC - Powered by TRITTON™ - GameShark® Store

as i said the previous cod mw2 has 5.1 sound selection on multiplayer but i dont hear sound from surround speakers. On single player of the SAME game well surround speakers work on 5.1 sound selection!

All the above no matter what mode i select on speakers. No surround sound on those games Except if i select double stereo on the speakers (but i dont hear sound from center speaker then and of course its not 5.1 but double stereo)



what is also strange is that on some apps i have to set to 6CH direct to hear 5.1 sound on others i have to set to movie or music as i dont have surround speakes sound on 6CH direct.

 

GUYS I NEED HELP!

I just received my 2nd 5870m from Dell today. I didn't really have much time at home to do an install but I managed to squeeze it in. Sure enough, after I installed it, my laptop wont boot.

All the lights turn on except for the alienheads and it doesn't even make it to he bios/post screen.

I didn't have too much time to play around with things, but a bios reset/ battery drain don't work.

I haven't tried pulling the CMOS battery yet, but I will when I gt home again. Any ideas what the he'll is going on?

Also, my first 5870 is now running on dells new vbios. The one I just received probably isn't. Thi k that's a problem? I'm thinking I'm going to have to get both of them on the new vbios, so I just got to run the Dell flashing thingy again and it'll do it to both cards again?

Also, before installing the card, I figured I should uninstall 10.10 n go with dells ati driver, however it would always say no compatible hardware was detected, AFTER just finishing the install manager. Major headaches tonight loll. Everything going wrong at the same time. I'm sure I'll figure it out once I get back home... I just hope pulling the CMOS battery will solve my boot problem. If not im screwed lol.

So Does anyone know what the he'll is going on? Much thanks, I'll be sure to rep

EDIT: Ok so pulling the cmos battery didn't help. So i uninstalled the 2nd 5870, and it booted up just fine. What can be causing this problem? I have a feeling it's because they are flashed with different vbios versions.... or maybe... the one DELL sent me isn't flashed with the slave vbios? Any ideas guys . I really dont feel like swapping heatsinks and putting this 2nd card into the master slot alone to see what bios its flashed with n stuff...but this might be my only otpion :s

 

@Crucifix...I noticed that whenever I disable stealth mode using the odometer button I still have to restart the computer to re-enable xfire. Tried this multiple times with Crysis and restarting works while the stealth button doesn't.

 

Just remove the heat-sink from the new slave card and put it into the primary slot. Boot and update the vbios. Make sure it boots with the new card on it's own then try putting everything back into its place. I've had to do the same thing when my primary card died. So I just swapped out the heat-sink. It should work.

 

just did the swap-a-rama. Put the 2nd 5870 in the primary slot, booted just fine. So i put dell's drivers back on, and updated the vbios of the new card to a01 (as i suspected, it came with a00). I thought for sure that would fix it. So i put everything back, pressed that power button and again, lights go on, except alienheads, and it doesn't even boot to the bios.

What the hell is going on. I'm getting a little frustrated now.

Quick question: Anyone know if the Vbios' are the same for both cards, no matter which one is slave, n which one is master? Is it only the slot in which they are seated that tells the system which is Master n which is slave?

 

Make sure the cards are the same. Boot with each individually. Then run HWinfo and it should show you the info.

 

i tired booting with each card ONLY in the primary slot, one at a time and they work like that, one at a time. Theyre both 5870s ( i was wondering if dell sent me a 4870 by accident at one point) and they both are flashed to a01 vbios.

Its as soon as both are in, and connected, that it does not boot. I;m wondering if its a faulty CF cable? Also, What happens if i disconnect the CF cable with both cards seated? Can the system boot like that?

By the way thanks alot cjnicosia... i hope i get it working soon

 

It's an old problem that they were supposed to have fixed a long time ago. The problem is that both cards are master cards and supposedly Dell has a newer revision of the 5870s that addresses this for spare parts. If you check the P/N number on the labels, it confirms it. I don't have the bookmark but erawneila (brian) talked about it, you should be able to google it.

 

you can still do crossfire if both are master cards....and the system should boot fine with the crossfire cable disconnected

 

Not with the older revision of 5870s.

 

I'd try booting with both in and no xfire cable. I've done that before and it should see both cards. Might be a bad xfire cable as well. I've swapped my cards from primary to secondary and they work fine. Just because I'm curious, what makes a master different than a slave? I thought that the vbios was the only memory/programming on the card? Not that I'm doubting you... Just learning something new is all.

 

ok... hold on, im a little confused lol. I'm not completely understanding this lol. so basically dell sent me two master cards? So what do i gotta do, flash one with the slave instead? What should i search on google, as i searched many times already writing in "M17x will not boot". found only crap

 

See this post and thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6589756-post87.html

 

just check the back of the cards. the one that came with my system is rev a01. The one they sent me is rev a00. So what, they sent me an older revision card that does not support booting with both flashed as masters, is that it?

 

Jstar. Is your system under warranty? You should call and have the parts replaced. They might send you a new complete set. Afterall they DID send you a bad card...

 

You could just ask for a vbios for each card from anyone with a working setup couldn't you? If that is indeed the problem

 

Joker, from what i understand from that thread.... the rev. a00 card should be in the master then, and the rev. a01 card should go in the slave? Wouldn't this work?

 

Joker, thx for the link. Very interesting...

 

Sounds right Jstar. I'd swap em...

 

It's not a matter of vbios, brian explained that the older cards have smbus address conflicts and thats why it won't boot.

Jstar--try flashing your system to the A02 bios and then see if both cards boot with crossfire. It may work but it's not a real solution, you will need to contact Dell and get the card exchanged for rev A01.

 

Honestly, I'd call em and have them send you a complete set. Otherwise you have no way of knowing that they will work together... Then you get two new ones!

 

ok screw that then. That's what i'll do. I'm calling them right now. lol. Rathe rget the new rev cards so i don't gotta break my head. Thanks a ton guys!!

@ cj : I just got this laptop like 2 weeks ago... how much newer can i ask for? LOL

 

They will likely just exchange the single card but if he makes a big enough fuss they could send over a set but that's no guarantee since they're all pulled from the same dell spare parts inventory (it's not the same inventory as the factory). Worst comes to worst, push for a complete system replacement with crossfire 5870s.

Yeah that's the best course of action. Until then, try flashing your system to A02 and see if it works. That way you can enjoy CF until the problem is resolved by Dell.

 

Glad we could all help... MAKE THAT WARRANTY WORK FOR YOU! You paid a premium for this system and you deserve everything you can get. All you need is a good reason.

I agree with Joker. I'm on my second system replacement! And I started with a R1!

One of my 4870's died and they sent me two 5870's. Just be nice and you might get what you want.

 

Well if Dell sends me a new card, it will work no problem right? as long as it's rev a01? Damn, and i'm going to have to do the whole heatsink swapping to seat the new card in the primary slot, and flash to the new vbios again too huh... bummer. Thanks again guys.

 

I started with a M15x

 

If it's rev A01 you should be set. Till then, give bios A02 a try, I'm curious to see if it will temporarily work for you.

 

alright will do. I'm out guys, im so tired. let you know how that a02 works out. Laters guys.

 

I'd explain that to the tech. He might try to convince you that it will be okay. Mention that he cannot guarantee though correct? He will agree and tell yo no. Ask for a manager and explain it to him. He/she will most likely give you a new set. This is costing you time... And your not asking for anything for free...

 

yea i'll give it a shot.. on the phone now. ill let you guys know what happened tomorrow. thanks again

EDIT: Ok so that went pretty smooth. I barely let the guy talk lol. I told him exactly what my problem was, and exactly how he was going to fix it LOL. So their sending me BOTH rev a01 cards with vbios a00 on them, so i won`t have to do any of the heatsink swapping crap just to get them on the same vbios. Then all i gotta do is install them, and flash them to the new A01 vbios and i`m set. Geeze can`t Dell ever get things right the first time? lol Ok i'm off to bed. Laters

 

watching Jstar posts i feel so lucky i bought the secondary 5870 from ebay (actually it wasnt my choice to buy from ebay but it was the only solution as Dell never sold them at least to 4870s users). It was taken out from a working M17X. The primary 5870 was a new one from Dell (also bought from ebay).

Just to remind you i upgraded my 4870s. The 5870s are both A00 and came with A00 vbios. I upgraded both to A01 vbios but really didnt have to as i didnt have any issues of no booting since i first tried them. Thus I can use all bios versions

My conclusion is that not all A00 secondary cards have crossfire issues, but i could say the most or all of them which are bought as new... I would suggest buying used secondary 5870s (from ebay or elsewhere) as they work for sure.

I even think that if ever change them place (primary to secondary and the opposite) then i may get no bootiing..

 

Just got my M17x today via UPS. UPS managed to deliver it a few days early as well (it was due on Monday)!

Just formatted and in the process of reinstalling. The screen looks great from the initial impressions.

I was disappointed that the machine didn't even boot up out the box though. The HDD had been disconnected and not mounted properly, though the OS was correctly installed.

I also noticed in the BIOS that the memory frequency was 1333MHz, though the specs read as 1067MHz. Not that I'm complaining!

 

I dont think Rev A00 has problems booting...from my understanding Its just that they are flashed as master or slave in the actual firmware, so it's essential Dell sends you a slave for the 2nd card, and not a master or it wont boot up (that's what happened to me).

To avoid this problem, I guess Dell released the newer A01 rev. , which allows Either card to work no matter which slot they are put in as there is no difference in firmwares between the two cards.

Nice congratz! Gotta love them Dell-screwup upgrades

 

I'm very pleased with my R2. In WoW, my FPS has practically doubled, despite what's only a ~25% increase on paper.

The screen is fantastic. I haven't calibrated it yet, and whilst it's a bit heavy on the red, the brightness and the colours are amazing. I thought the R1's CCFL was a good monitor, but it's terrible in comparison!

The 285 temps seem pretty good. The i7 runs a quite a bit hotter than the QX9300 though, so during the daytime it doesn't seem to take too much for the fans to kick up.

 

Was it a refurbished system? If so, this could explain the HDD issue. If it was new, then that is definitely bad.

 

17xR1, 11xR1

Currently looking out (outlet) for a 15x and a 11xR2

 

Nope, it was brand new from the factory, built to the specs I negotiated with Dell.

It's not just bad, it's very weird. Either no QA test was done (as out the box, it would fail even the most simple one), or for some bizarre reason someone decided to dismount the drive and not install it properly after passing QA.

It's anyone's guess what went on there.

 

Is there any way to get more than 8G memory in this beast, since I use it for work also, I find my self needing to run multiple VM's at the same time.....would love to double what it has. (I have 8)

 

Not atm. I too would like 16gb of RAM lol. Maybe next time when 8gb sticks become available and actually affordable some of us can give it a try. The bios supposedly supports more than 8gb but we shall see I guess.

Cheers.

 

there are some 8 GB ram modules but only for desktops.

8GB Memory Upgrades | 8GB DDR2 DDR3 RAM Modules Kits | upgrade to 8 gb of RAM

I guess they will come out for notebooks soon

 

Yep I can't wait for them LOL. However the pricing for them will be insane ey ehahahaha. Probs the same cost as an XM CPU lol.

I would like to give them a test though

Cheers.

 

if i remeber well, i7 cpu's (at least mobile ones) integrated memory controller only support up to 8Gb dual channel

 

I have the dual core 1.3 GHz Core 2 (actually both cpus in the M11x R1 are the same speed just different cache sizes) in my Asus UL80Vt and it is easily enough processor for general use. Not for a power user, but general use. It can also overclock to about 320 FSB using setfsb if I want and is rock solid - which is fun

 

A quick random question. I'm looking to to a project with the housing and iv been looking around are there any other places besides alienware directly, parts people and eBay to get a m17x nebula red housing for a fair price?

 

I just noticed that when I switch from cfx to single my brightness controls fn+f4 or f5 are stuck to what ever I had it set to when cfx is enabled? So like with the screen dimmed all the way in cfx and then switch to single the screen stays dimmed without the option to brighten the screen other than through windows control panel in which the slider is stuck as well? However if you try to move the slider it will go from either full brightness to low dimmed?

is it just me or am I trippin?

or it is what it is and to have the option to control with fn+f4 or f5 I have to be in cfx and not single carded?